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Princeton applications remain near record number

Posted January 26, 2013; 08:15 a.m.

by Martin Mbugua, Office of Communications

Princeton University has received 26,505 applications for admission to the Class of 2017. The applicants include 3,810 candidates who applied last fall through single-choice early action, an increase of 11 percent over last year’s early action pool.

This is the second year since 2006 that the University has offered an early application round for prospective students whose first college choice is Princeton. The University's undergraduate admission office offered admission to 697 of the early applicants in mid-December.

During the past nine years, the University has seen a 93.5 percent increase in applications. This year’s applicant pool, which is slightly smaller than last year's applicant pool of 26,663, is the third-largest applicant pool in the University’s history.

"We are delighted with the strength of the applicant pool and we have begun the evaluation process," Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye said. "We have been monitoring the demographic changes in the national high school population, and it is not surprising to see a plateau in the applicant pool. At the same time, we are seeing steady interest in the University from the U.S. and abroad due to our academic programs as well as our generous financial aid that is extended to international students."

Through the University's pioneering no-loan financial aid program, all students on financial aid are offered grants that do not have to be repaid — giving students an opportunity to graduate debt-free. The admission process is need-blind for both domestic and international students. A large number of this year’s applicants also applied for the University’s financial aid program.